Loki's Return
by LokiLove24028
Summary: After being presumed dead the second time after the events in Thor 2, Loki is back and free from his imprisonment in the dungeons of Asgard. With everyone thinking they are safe from the threat of the rouge prince, he is liberated to do what he pleases. But, not only is unsure where to go next, but he must figure out if his evil days are over or if he still has a hunger for power.
1. Hver Dag Rutine

**Norwegian - English**

 **Hver Dag Rutine - Everyday Routine**

Everything was the same. The palace. The village. The skies, the forest, the streets, the people. It was all so familiar as it had been for years and years of his life. Everything in Asgard was the same, except for Loki.

While his surrounding remained the same, he was completely and utterly different. Everything thing he had been through in the past few years had changed him from the inside out. He wasn't the same quiet, second-to-Thor prince anymore. He wasn't his tag along brother. He wasn't the second in line for the throne. Loki wasn't even welcome here anymore. If anyone had known he was sneaking around Asgard, enjoying a taste a freedom for the first time in two years, he'd be thrown back into his cell within a heartbeat... and that was the best case scenario. He'd be lucky if he got enough mercy to even live.

But freedom had a high price nowadays, and he'd take what he could get, even if it had the risk of possible flogging or death. And what did he have to lose anyway? He lost his family, his friends, his title as prince, and most importantly, he lost his mother. The only person he truly cared about was gone. Well, Thor was another topic. He didn't know how he felt about Thor, or where he stood. Yes, he cared to a degree, and yes, he still called him his brother. The rage was still buried deep inside of Loki however, and he didn't see it completely diminishing anytime soon.

Not only was he confused about how he felt about his brother, he was confused about himself in general. Did he still desire the power he's been so strongly craving? Did he still want to go to extreme heights to get it? One thing was for sure though, everything felt different. His rage was contained enough so that it wasn't blinding him, and Loki could see the benefits of retiring from his power hungry days and just letting himself admit his defeat. Was he wrong in what he did? He knew not. He didn't know anything anymore.

And maybe that's why this was the optimal time for being pretend-dead, even if he did feel like a stranger in his homeland. Technically, he was. Loki had been getting by with using his powers and tricks to morph into discreet characters. Often, it was easiest to take form of a guard or just a generic Asgardian and keep his head down so not to be noticed. As of now, Loki was in the form of his go-to generic guard. His hair was a light brown, but it was hidden by the typical Asgardian helmet. He had stubble across his face and a deep and dense brow that always seemed to be pulled together in intense focus. Basically, he looked like every other of the hundreds of guards they had.

Loki pulled open the giant brass doors of the palace library and walked into one of his favorite places on Earth. Walls curved around him, stretching both upwards in immense height and outwards to give the room a spacious look. Every single inch was covered with books on multiple levels. There was a giant fireplace in the middle with two spiraling staircases leading to the upstairs loft on either side. Self after shelf was placed in rows all around, those brimmed with books and scrolls as well. The familiar scent of paper and ink filled the air and reminded Loki of the childhood days where he'd spend day after day reading, ignoring Thor's persistent whines for Loki to come play with him outside.

Whisking away the memory from his past, Loki skimmed the rows of books, looking for something that interested him and he hadn't read yet. Lately, he had been reading a lot. There wasn't much to do when everyone you knew thought you were dead and you were an escaped convict. Reading always gave him a solitude away from his world, more than anything else ever could. When buried deep in a book, he could forget his life and his strife. He could transport his mind to a whole different realm altogether; one only for him.

After about ten minutes, he had a good pile of books. Scouring the room for an empty table away from any sign of life, Loki stumbled with his hands full, letting the books fall onto the giant oak table that was completely empty. He thought about what he wanted to start on first. He had a collection of both History and Old Asgardian Classic Fiction tales. Those were both his favorite genres.

Deciding on a history novel about Vanaheim, Loki opened the dusted leather cover of his first book for the day and turned to the first Chapter, smiling to himself just at the thought of a new book for him waiting there, ready to be read. "Nerd", Thor used to joke with him while laughing at how excited he would get about books. Young Loki would just roll his eyes and tune his brother out, promising to play with him later.

Within half of an hour, Loki was already a third of the way through the book. Over the years, he'd gotten unusually fast at reading, making reading _more_ even easier. What did the humans call it? A guilty pleasure?

A sound from his right interrupted Loki. He turned to see a small figure of a girl jump up on the seat right next to him, not even a foot away. Loki scowled at the young child and scooted his chair away as far as he could. The girl just looked at him with a disgustingly cute smile, her long brown curly hair pulled back in a bow and her dress a bright white. Loki continued to frown at her, wondering what this creature wanted.

"What are you reading?" she asked in a high sweet voice. Loki stared back, unamused.

"None of your business, child. Now run along." he said, making the shooing motion with his hand and returning the words in his book. He read about two sentences before he heard the sound of a chair scraping across the marble floors. He sighed in pure irritation before looking up to see the young Asgardian girl had scooted her chair closer, closing the gap that Loki had originally created. He rolled his eyes and looked at the girl who still looked purely happy and entertained.

"Where is your mother, girl?"

The little girl giggled like it was the funniest thing ever. Loki jumped from the unexpected shrill laugh of the tiny creature in front of him.

"You're funny." she said, showing him a small grin where she had a tiny tooth missing. He glared at her, repulsed. Kids... he never understood them. He was never the small naive helpless midget that most children were. Loki was always more insightful, more cunning, more to himself.

"What are you reading?" she asked, proceeding in trying to make conversation with him. She reached forward to touch his book, but he pulled it away to the other side of the table in one swift movement. The girl thought this was hilarious, and jumped up to stand on the chair so she could better reach over. Loki groaned in frustration and yanked the book away further, but she just took this as an invitation to keep playing this game in which she thought they were playing.

"Small little creature of repulsiveness..." he muttered as the little girl continued to laugh. She got a grip of his book and held on tightly. Loki stood up and tried to pull it away, but she had a firm grip and followed wherever he tried to move the book to. Her hands were rapped around the binding tightly and she relentlessly giggled as he tried to pull the book up, out of her reach. This didn't even work as she just held on tighter and was lifted with the book, her feet leaving the ground. She thought that was just oh-so hilarious, but Loki sighed, not entertained while holding the small Asgardian up above the ground by the book.

She craned her neck to look at him, her eyes sparkling blue with amusement. Loki looked down at her grin with a missing tooth and her tiny nose and her tiny ears. The ridiculousness of the situation hit him, and he had to bite his lip from laughing.

 _No..._ he scolded himself inside his head. _Laughing is a weakness. Children are a weakness._

Before Loki could try to quench his urge to laugh, there was a woman's voice from the entrance of the library.

"Helena! Where are you?" the woman called out. The little girl, Helena as Loki presumed, dropped to the ground and ran to the woman who was most likely her mother.

"Where in Valhalla have you been, you silly girl?" the woman asked lightly, lifting the girl into her arms and tickling her.

"With my friend." the girl said. The woman turned her gaze upwards to see the "friend" her daughter was speaking of, but by then, Loki had stealthily slipped behind a bookcase to observe them. The woman looked around before gazing down at the girl in confusion.

"Alright, _vakker_." she said to her daughter, using the Norwegian name for "beautiful". It sounded as if the woman didn't quite believe her, and for this Loki was glad. He could never be too careful these days. He watched them leave, watching the girls face turn to disappointment when she looked back one more time and didn't see Loki, or the form he had taken on anyway. Once they were gone, Loki sneaked out the back door, hurrying through the palace hallways before he could be caught by another small person. This is what he had to be careful for. He couldn't let his guard down, especially for something as petty as a curious child.

After the run in with the child at the library, Loki sunk deep into the forest behind a path at the back of the palace. It was a refreshing place that grew wild without maintenance like the rest of Asgard's main city. Everything was usually made of copper or metal or gold. The paths were perfectly paved and while there were trees, they were strategically placed for perfect symmetry. It was beautiful and orderly, but after a while, Loki yearned for something natural. The forest granted him this. He loved the dense area of trees and vines and the blurs of green and brown around him.

He and Thor had loved to come here as children. They'd spar with wooden makeshift swords and dream of the day when they got to use a real sword and fight real monsters. Now that those days had come and had torn them apart, it seemed much less glamorous. Not to get Loki wrong, he loved a good battle, but it could get ugly at times. Sometimes ugly was the price for order, however.

The forest was rarely used now, Loki being the exception. He loved practicing his magic here nowadays. He'd create clones of himself and scatter them about or he'd work on created green fire or his defensive spells. All of which were tricks he learned from his mother. It was the one piece of her that he had left within himself.

After playing around with his magic, Loki ducked low and tip toed into the royal stables. They'd kept his horse in the same stable, so he'd visit her. If it was to be found that a horse was missing however, it was better that it was one of the extra ones instead of his own. So after visiting her, he'd take another and go for a ride through the beat down paths with overgrowth. He almost enjoyed having to use less kept trails and areas better. They were wild and themselves. They weren't controlled. In that way, he had something similar within himself after going off the grid. While it was a lonely life, it was an uncontrolled one, and Loki enjoyed that.

This was his life now. Read, horse back ride, magic, reflect, repeat. It was a life of solitude, and sometimes could be a jail cell of its own, but not bad at all. He was content enough that he was okay with staying this way for a while. Surely he couldn't do this forever, but for now, a break was nice.

No matter what he did each day, Loki always ended in the same place as the sun set: his mother's memorial monument. It was in the yard with all of the other king and queen's memorials. Her's was an intricate statue of her with flowers and vines coming up the statue on all sides. It was both beautiful and strong, a blade in one hand and gathering of flowers in the other. It had only taken the kingdom a week to complete it to its perfection, and now, it was one of Loki's new favorite places. He'd talk to her here, hoping she was listening. There was no use in lying to the dead. What else could they do? If she was listening, she was a nice person to talk to. She wouldn't judge him or tell him what to do. She wouldn't have even done those things if she were alive, but Loki felt safe talking out loud to her now. He'd admit the things he never wanted to. He'd admit he missed how things were and sometimes, just sometimes, he wished he could go back and undo it all. He'd admit that he did in fact care if his brother lived or died. He loved his family. He was just... lost.

After the sun set completely, Loki would stand from the soft green grass beneath his mother's memorial and would walk into the night and towards the forest once more. He'd keep his head down, focusing on staying in whatever form he chose so not to be recognized. He would pass tree after tree, but keep walking, deeper and deeper. Loki easily dodged roots and walks around underbrush. The routine was embedded in his mind now. He'd walked this path many times now, to the place he went back to every night.

It wasn't until he reached a grouping of rocks on the ground when Loki stopped. This was his marker for when he was close. Turning left and looking up into the trees, he was able to make out the shape of the tree house. It was his tree house now, seeing as him and Thor had completely forgotten where they'd built it when they were kids. He found it out of pure luck three days after his presumed death. Before that, Loki had been staying in an abandoned storage shack, but even that was too close to the city since he couldn't sleep in disguise.

Now was about the time where Loki would allow his disguise to fall away and he'd resume to be himself. His jet black hair was getting long and annoying him. He could slick it back with magic, but it still brushed against his shoulders every time he turned. He was able to steal some clothes from his old room, so he wasn't short on those. Right now, he was wearing a tight dark green long sleeved shirt and leather vest that was laced up in the front with plain black pants. It felt good to be himself at the end of every day.

Climbing the ladder to the top, Loki returned to the small wooden house in the tree. Anyone who glanced on the inside could tell that Loki had been living there. There were stolen books scattered about, a mound of blankets spread out on the floor for him to sleep, food taken in secret from the palace's kitchen sitting on the table Thor and him had made for the tree house when they were young, and sheathes of daggers lying up against the walls.

With a flick of his wrist, Loki illuminated the candles sitting on the window sill of the big window with a green flame. The tree house glowed a green that would seem eerie to most, but it comforted him. With the dull light flickering and sending strange shadows of trees across the wood of the floors and walls, Loki collapsed on his bed of blankets and pulled one over his body, making a folded up blanket his pillow. Loki watched the light flicker, feeling fatigue set in. His life wasn't too bad. Better than a cell. Not as good as a prince, but once again, not too bad.

Trying to make himself believe that, Loki's eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep.

~X~

Thor lunged forward, nearly catching Fandral's shoulder with his sparring blade. He dodged last second however, and spun out of the way. Fandral darted to the other side of Thor before he could turn and tapped his own sparring sword on his shoulder.

"Aha! Not so mighty without your hammer, are you?" he gloated. Thor rolled his eyes and sent deep tremors of chuckles through his body. He turned to smile at Fandral who looked mighty pleased with himself.

"Well, I am sparring against one of Asgard's most prestigious swordsmen." he said, making Fandral raise his eyebrows rise cockily.

"Right you are, my friend. And not to bad with the ladies too, if we are going on a tangent here." he added, winking over at Sif who sat on the bench by the sparring yard with an annoyed but amused look on her face.

"Oh get over yourself." she joked. Thor looked around at his friend who were all teasing Fandral now, Volstagg even reaching forward to mess his "perfect" hair as he claimed.

"Oh enough all of you!" Fandral said, laughing. "If you all think you're so funny, try to take me on in a match? Never defeated." he bragged, puffing out his chest.

"Well don't say that. There was one person who always beat you." Sif said, raising her eyebrows at him. Thor felt his chest clench. Loki. He was the only one who could stand there and watch Fandral defeat all of his friends, staying back quietly before taking him on and dominating in a match, a master of any sort of blade. The fact that he was dead was still hard for Thor to accept, even after a couple of months. He had held his dying brother in his arms and had listened to him apologize to Thor, and admit that he had done it for him. He _died_ for Thor. To be fair, it was after multiple attempts to kill him himself. Loki was unpredictable and not able to be understood though. Thor still didn't know why he ever did the things he did. He did know that he missed him though. Nothing could change that Loki had been his best friend and brother his entire life.

"Well okay. If we are counting Loki, then yes. He always seemed to have a better hand on swords than, I. But only him!" Fandral added, sheathing his sword once more and walking forward to take a drink from his water pouch. Thor watched his friends converse, but ever since the mention of Loki, his mind was far off elsewhere. Why? Why had he died for him? Why was he trying to kill him one second and dying for him the next? The aspect had been on Thor's mind for a while now.

"Thor?" he heard Sif's voice. His friends turned to him with concerned gazes, realizing something was wrong. Maybe it was the way he was quiet or the way his smile faded from his face, but they could definitely sense it.

"Sorry, sorry. Just thinking. I have to go, my friends. I am sorry. I will catch up with you tomorrow then?" Thor said in his deep rumbling voice. He tried to make it seem light and casual, but it still sounded distressed. He just needed to be alone for now.

"Um... Sure." Vostagg said. His friends continued to follow him out with their gazes as Thor exited the arena and started on the path to the bifrost. Whenever he felt off, he'd go and talk to Heimdall. Something about speaking with a man who could see everything opened up Thor's mind to knew thoughts and cleared his mind for new ideas. It also comforted him to know what Jane was doing as well. Eventually the feeling would pass, and Thor would be fine again. Nothing would change the empty pain that he constantly felt from the knowledge that he could've potentially had his brother back, but death had gotten to him first.


	2. Forkledninger

**Forkledninger - Disguises**

Bread, berries, apples, meat, cheese... Loki gathered a compilation of food items that he found scattered around the castle kitchen, taking all he pleased. On thief outings, he'd take a sack and fill it as much as he could so he didn't have to come back for supplies for a couple of days. He'd always wait until eight to come to the kitchen since he knew that's when the cooks would take a breakfast break from the memories of his childhood. He was running a little late today, and hurriedly stuffed a few more apples to top off the bag.

"... had some cookies left." Loki heard a deep voice coming from the end of the hallway outside of the kitchen. He felt his heart rate pick up as he realized that he had to move quickly. The mess he had made around the kitchen while gathering items was an obvious clue to something out of place however, so he set his bag down and hastily began fumbling with the things around him in attempt to clean up.

"We just have to be back to the yard in an hour."

"Jorgan will beat our heads in, he will."

The men carried on their conversation as they grew nearer. Of course they just had to be guards. Jorgan was the main commander of the palace guards that didn't put up with any funny business. Loki was glad he never had the dull life of a guard. They just stood there in all of their irrelevance.

Cringing, he held his breath as he accidentally knocked a pan to the ground. The talking outside got quiet. They had obviously heard.

"Damn..." Loki muttered under his breath, putting the pot back down on the counter tenderly, trying not to make anymore noise. Not to mention, he wasn't even in disguise at the moment. Lately it had been getting harder to create morphs and disguises consistently, one after another. The more he used it, the more strength it took from him. They were getting better in a sense though. They were more detailed, more perfect. The only problem was that he couldn't keep doing it twenty four-seven.

"Hey, do you need any help in there?" one of the deep voices called out, obviously thinking they were talking to a cook. Loki sighed in pure irritation. Why did everything have to take a bad turn with him?

Closing his eyes and summoning up strength within him, Loki focused on different features as fast as possible. It was a simple disguise. Brown hair, blue eyes, light scruff, and just his regular clothes, but he didn't have time for anything else. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, glancing over his shoulder one last time at the main entrance where the shadows of the guards were approaching. Loki turned back around and started sneaking out the back way, keeping in a crouched position to try and keep his footsteps quite. Loki was halfway through the threshold when he heard it.

"Hey! Stop!" the voice yelled. Loki glanced back within a fraction of a second to see two men in the doorway. They were dressed in the tradition Asgardian guard garb, swords in the process of being unsheathed. He whipped back around and took off in a full off sprint, not even caring about keeping quiet now. They were already chasing after him, their footsteps thundering from behind like an angry stampede, even if it was of two people.

Loki was already slowed down by the huge load on his back, but it didn't help that guards were fast. They were well trained in everything, no one expecting anything else from the alpha realm of Asgard, but right now it was just a pain in Loki's ass. He was _not_ going to end his freedom by a slip up in the kitchen.

"Halt! Thief!" They continued to yell behind him. A whir of colors flashed by Loki as he ran. Gold walls, bright flames of the torches, paintings, windows... all of their colors blended together in one fast moving swish around him. There was no sound but the sound of their approaching footsteps and the harsh thumping of his heart against his chest. He flew through three hallways, only nearly running into one person in the last one but dodging at the last second. He estimated that the guards were nearly five feet away from him. Even while he was on the brink of being caught however, Loki felt the rush that he had been missing for so long. The same adrenaline burst that the came with the blazing chaos of mischief.

With this new love for the rush, Loki was able to pull ahead of his enemies that were trying to close in behind him. He even smiled a bit, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly from amusement. He loved being on top, being ahead. He loved knowing he was _better, faster,_ and his enemies didn't stand a chance. If he couldn't get this while fighting along side Thor or against him anymore, he could setting for this. It wasn't so bad.

The new distance that Loki put between him in the guards gave him enough time to turn the corner with a couple second to spare. With this time, he slung his full bag off of his shoulder and chucked it out of the giant arched window to his right so that it fell into a bush outside of the castle where hopefully it would stay for him to collect later. Loki kept running past the next arch window, beginning down a long hallway lined with nothing but. Once he passed about the second one, he began to focus on the first disguise he could think of that he knew he could perfect quickly: Odin.

Loki had disguised himself as Odin for quite a while when he first embarked into his new life of hidden freedom. It was fun at first. He was finally right where he was supposed to be; in the throne of a king and in command of an entire realm, even if it was while pretending to be someone else. The more he used Odin's disguise however, the more suspicious Thor began getting. Eventually he had to give up his time of trickery and sulk back into the shadows where it was safe once more.

The time Loki had spent perfecting his morphing skills to resemble Odin, helped him change within a fraction of a second, the guards rounding the corner in less than a moment later. Loki slowed his pace and walked normally as Odin would. He slowed to a stop as the approaching guards came up behind him, turning to them with a fake-concerned face.

"My king, there is a thief among us. Have you seen where he has run?"

"Through there and two the left, I believe. I barely caught sight of him." Loki said as Odin. The guard crossed their arms over their chest and bowed, the traditional Asgardian sign of respect to the royalty. And with that, they took off once more, only this time, after nothing.

Loki was left standing there, looking out the grand arch window to his left, closing his eyes as he felt the warm breeze waft into the room. He remembered when he had been given the same sign of respect many times everyday as Prince. Now the only thing he got were words of hate and floggings when any of the guards could find the smallest of reasons. He shuddered and realized how lucky he was to be out of there.

Knowing that he had to get down to the bush where his food was hidden before anyone else found it, Loki began walking down the hallway, still trying to keep down the burn in his lungs from his chase with the guards.

Just as he was rounding the corner, Loki full bumped into someone tall, muscular and very big in general.

Thor "oofed" when Loki ran into him, both of them staggering backwards a bit.

"Father, I am sorry." Thor said, chuckling a bit. Loki was confused for a moment before realizing that he still looked like Odin. Loki forced a small smile and chuckled a bit, trying to seem the friendly, wise old man that everyone expected him to be.

"I've been looking for you. If you do not need me for today, I was going to take a trip down to Midgard." Thor said, looking at Loki with a thick cocked eyebrow and a questioning gaze. Loki frowned in Odin's form, trying to figure out what to say. There was always the threat of whatever he said, creating suspicion.

"Um, yes." he said, making Thor frown in confusion.

"Are you well, father?"

"Yes, of course I'm well." Loki said, snapping more than he intended. He panicked and quickly tried to cover up. "Are you going to see Jane?"

Thor's confused expression fell and he nodded, his blue-gray stormy eyes with a new gleam at the mention of Jane. Loki mentally rolled his eyes. Disgusting.

"Yes," he answered, starting to back away down the hallway once more. "And I think my friends wanted to say hello as well." Thor called to him, this voice ringing off the walls as he walked further and further down the hallway, slowly.

"Very well. I don't want to hear of any ruckus when you are there." Loki/Odin said, trying to keep a light conversation. Thor broke into a smile and rolled his eyes.

"I can only try."

Thor nodded a goodbye and turned the corner, walking out of sight once more. Loki let out a sigh of relief, his heart still pumping fast from the fright of creating any suspicion. He had to be more careful.

Regaining himself and smiling a bit at the fact that he had these people nearly in the palm of his hand, Loki began walking towards the door that led outside, having enough mischief for the day and just wanting to get his food and go.

~X~

Throughout the rest of the day, Loki had reached the pinnacle of boredom and had somehow found himself on a couch in Midgard, disguised as Fandral and surrounded by Thor, Sif, and Jane. He knew he was bored when it came down to wasting time away with his brother and his friends.

"Is he really as big as he seems?" Jane was asking, making Loki roll his eyes in pure annoyance. The conversation had somehow turned to the Avengers, and it was the last thing Loki ever wanted to hear about. He didn't want to remember the way they had destroyed his army, his pride, his reputation. He didn't want to remember how he failed to take over this petty realm.

"He is humongous, and as green leeks." Thor said, making Jane look down at the ground and think about this, smiling from her curious mind at work. Loki hadn't lied when he had said it before: he did like her. Well, she didn't drive him _that_ crazy at least. He admired her fire and her curiosity for the world around her. She was still just a human though. _Thor's human._ Loki never got him. Why did he like them so much?

Looking around, the mortal life didn't seem all that glamorous. They were in a small flat with nothing but a living room attached to a kitchen only big enough for about two people. There was a small bathing room and one bedroom that only had room for one queen sized bed, a nightstand and a dresser. Jane's apartment in particular was covered with papers and maps that were marked up with her writing and research. If Thor was going to pick a human to fall in love with, at least he chose a smart one.

"What about Iron Man?" she asked.

"That man who flies in that metal encasing?" Sif asked, obvious skeptical of him.

"Yes, he's smart but has quite the ego." Thor explained. Loki huffed a sigh. Boy, did he know that. Stark was always cracking jokes, making sarcastic comments left in right.

"What about the American one?"

"Too righteous." Loki slipped up, speaking his mind. All heads turned to him, and he had to remember that he was Fandral. "I mean, in my opinion. They don't seem _that_ great."

The same faces kept staring at him, obviously appalled especially considering he had been quiet all night.

"No need to be irritable." Sif said, frowning at Loki. He shrunk back into the couch in Fandral's form, wishing them to just move on. Thankfully they did, continuing to talk about what it had been like to fight side by side with "Earth's Mightiest Hero."

Loki stayed there quiet. Sometimes he wished it had never happened. Sometimes he wished he could turn it all around and go back and tell himself how this would have turned out, his freedom barely surviving by the disguises and tricks he relied on. If only he had known...


	3. Hemmelig

Loki woke up to a stiff back and an ache in his neck. Sleeping on the hard ground of the tree house every night was starting to affect him, even with the blankets and his godly powers. Sitting up, he stretched out, wincing at the pain that flared up throughout him. The day was brand new however, and he didn't want to miss a minute. The dawn of morning were almost as enjoyable as the night, that is there was no one out and he seemed to have the world all to himself.

Today the sky was streaked with hues of gold and pinks, the stars still shining throughout the large cavernous galaxy beyond Asgard. No one knew how much was really out there, what a threat lied upon all of their shoulders. Loki did. Loki knew things that would drive even the strongest of minds to the brink of insanity just to think about. The things out there... Things right on their doorstep... it was enough to destroy the universe ten times over again.

The experienced pro that he was at making sure none of those things were his problem, Loki pushed them to the background chambers of his mind. The fog of early morning was seeping through the makeshift window in the shack he sat in, reminding him that if he wanted to take a nice walk alone he best do it now. So Loki stood and made his way down the tree and into the forest, taking a deep breath of the crisp air around him. Smoothing out his hair and starting off towards the city, Loki started his day.

For the first few hours, Loki tried to maintain his constant strive for optimism. Usually he was the pessimist of the group, but now that there wasn't a group and Loki was alone, he was forced to think certain high thoughts to secure his sanity. However, he couldn't fool himself forever. Sometimes he was worried; he was worried that someone would find him, or that this would be his life alone forever, or that Thanos would return and him and kill him for failing in New York years ago. He couldn't pretend like he was completely happy forever. Not to mention, he got so bored.

In one of these fits of stark boredom, the god of mischief did the only thing he could think of doing- he went to find Thor and his own former friends. At least that was something familiar.

Loki walked the grounds of Asgard, checking in all of their favorite places. Eventually he found them in the training grounds once more, trying their hand at sword fighting each other. Sometimes the way that they obsessed over who showed the most valor irritated Loki to no end. He did love Asgard but the shallowness of their most important values drove him insane. Wouldn't they spend their time elsewhere, gathering knowledge and feeding their minds through a book or teachings?

Realizing that none of this matter now that he was just a fugitive, the "lost prince" concentrated all of his focus on changing his form into another character. Melding his features into those of one of the guards he saw walking around yesterday, Loki kept the facial type but changed his form into ordinary Asgardian clothing, hoping not to draw too much attention. He was then able to casually stroll out from the treeline and into the open grass area on the way to the training yard.

"Maybe it's from wielding that top heavy hammer all day." Fandral was saying. Loki rolled his eyes as he approached the small crowd gathering around his friends. It was clear that Fandral was once again boasting about his suave sword fighting skills. His brother was standing across from his bragging friend, his face in a slightly annoyed smirk.

"Your mouth runs for miles, my friend. But if I were wielding my hammer as of now, I assure you, you wouldn't be speaking such things." he said jokingly, making Fandral laugh.

"Well if you speak so highly, then you shouldn't be afraid of a mere sword spar."

"I never said I was afraid."

"Well then what are you waiting for?"

The light-hearted banter between the two friends excited the small crowd surrounding them. Once again, Loki rolled his eyes. He bet they were just loving the attention. Deep down however, he was just the slightest bit jealous. He missed the adrenaline of battling in front of crowds of adoring citizens.

Thor was the first to lunge forward, Fandral easily knocking his sword to the side and allowing the friendly battle to begin. The people began to chant around them, the ladies swooning and the men shouting miscellaneous things that melded into one low roar. Loki was the only one who stood still and watched from sidelines, keeping his head low with a piercing, judgmental stare.

"Aha!" Fandral exclaimed, easing forward and skillfully knocking Thor's sword back and forth as the prince could only block to his best ability in defense. The crowd seemed to move in closer, eager to see the outcome of the fight. They ooh'ed and ah'ed every time it'd seem like there would be a winner, but in the end, Fandral bounded forward with one last swipe of his weapon, and Thor's sword went clanking to the ground. The crowd went nuts, making the still and sulking image of Loki's morphed figure stand out even more.

"Well played, Fandral." Thor said, reaching a hand forward to clasp it on his friend's shoulder. The crowd murmured with satisfied exclamations about the "exhilaration" of the sparring match: the most exhilaration their petty lives would see, Loki thought bitterly. Although, it wasn't like he was getting much adventure in his life either lately. What he would give just to take on someone in a harmless sword match- just once.

Loki watched Fandral strut around with that foolish, egotistical grin on his face. He flashed his 'dazzling whites' and the girls and flipped his hair to make them squeal. Loki bit his lip and tried to resist the urge to put Fandral in his place. He prayed to Valhalla that he would have the strength to hold back from doing something rash and senseless. If he could just get in for one match, Fandral's smug quality would be wiped straight from his face.

"Another!" a man yelled from beside Loki. The harsh boom in his ear annoyed him, but it was a short lived fuse as Loki was distracting by the rest of the crowd joining in with the chant.

"Another! Another! Another!" they all yelled. Fandral looked around confused at first, but then he shrugged and joined in the chant. Even Thor smiled and added to the thunder of the people, his voice easily rising above everyone's.

"Anyone else dare to go a round?" Fandral shouted over the uproar. They weren't making this easy on Loki.

Don't be daft. He scolded himself. The risk of drawing attention to himself while hiding behind his magical pseudo form was great. He would be over stepping his boundaries. It was brash, it was reckless, it was audacious, it was...

"I'll do it." Loki said, stopping the cries and shouts around him dead in their tracks. All faces turned towards him, and he could only wish with all of his might that he could keep up the sorcery enough to not turn heads too much. As for Fandral, he looked appalled that there was another being who was courageous enough to take him on. Loki couldn't help but feel a rush of anticipation; yes, this was going to be great.

"What's your name?" his own brother asked, looking at him with a suspicious gaze. Loki felt his chest clench with anxiety just a bit. Not from being asked something he wasn't prepared for, but because Thor was looking at him in a way that wouldn't be much different than if Loki just walked up as himself in the first place. As for the name, Loki was used to lying. His well practiced skill allowed the word to easily roll off his tongue.

"Sandor." Loki replied smoothly. It was the name of his favorite character from his favorite book. One would think that Thor would be able to link that together. He would be able to... if he had ever cared to know what Loki liked or wanted when they were younger.

"Well Sandor, pick up a sword, any sword." Fandral said. "It won't make a difference to me." he muttered under his breath, thinking Loki's impeccable hearing wouldn't pick it up. Maybe it was a frost giant thing, but either way, Loki couldn't help but smile in amusement and at the fact that Sif was angered by this and smacked Fandral on the shoulder.

"Don't let your ego overpower your manners." she muttered, making Fandral roll his eyes. Loki didn't mind though. He's been battling Fandral ever since he was small. It was very rare when he lost a battle. Granted, it had been a while since Loki had a use for a full fledged sword, but he wasn't worried, not one bit. Instead of the spectating crowd creating a nervous atmosphere, it just urged Loki on. His blood pumped harder within his veins and he took a deep and savoring breath. He loved this... this... this adrenalin.

Loki chose his sword, a thinner one that could slice through the air with more precision than force. That was his style in anything, really. Battle smart, not rough.

"Alright then, Sandor." Fandral said. "I'll go easy on you."

"I do appreciate it." Loki said, trying with all of his magic left to disguise his voice. And with that, Loki lunged forward and went for Fandral's padded shoulder. His strike was just merely blocked, his former friend obviously not ready for such a fast attack. The crowd around them "ooh'd" and gasped with every strike the men made. Loki kept his detailed footwork, side stepping around Fandral so that they rotated around the stone flooring of the courtyard.

It was a fast paced fight. There was no leisure time in between, only one dive made after another. The blades moved so fast that they were only bright flashes in the sunlight, almost blinding to a normal eye, but Loki was too focused for that. This was the most fun he'd had since he was chased by the guards out of the kitchen. He was loving every second of it.

"End him Fandral!"

"Put him in his place!"

"Marry me!"

Were all things Loki just barely heard shouted from around him towards Fandral. They all seemed to be giving Fandral strength. He nearly got the jump on Loki by landing a poke at his right arm, but the prince was quicker. The blades clashed together once more, but this time, Fandral's high thoughts for himself got the best of him. Right when he thought he had "Sandor", Loki blocked his strike and rebounded in a fast jab of the sword. Fandral was able to counter it just in time, but this was just what Loki needed: one moment with him off his guard.

"Woah." Fandral muttered, stumbling backwards. Loki didn't let this slow him. He advanced forward with fast slices of his blade, the loud clanks and clinks filling the air in a faster rhythm as the battle intensified.

"You're not bad." Fandral grunted while trying to regain the balance and technique he had possessed before Loki had taken advantage of his split second of distraction. The high and mighty blonde continued to back up, unable to do much else as Loki proceeded to press on forward, backing his once boasting friend towards the outer edges of the training yard.

The slightest of smiles crept up on Loki's face. He loved this feeling. The feeling of his opponent writhing under his thumb at the mercy of his command. The craving he felt for power in moments like these were why he was what he was today. He couldn't help it. Loki loved the rush.

Finally, in one final flick of the wrist, Loki had Fandral's sword spiraling into the air, soaring towards the crowd with their mouths all agape. Out of the corner of his eye, Loki saw all of his friends watch with astounded gazes as the blade flashed in the sunlight towards the hoard of people. They gasped and flooded backwards away from the sword, gaveling at the weapon as it stuck into the ground, handle up right in front of them. Loki held his sword at Fandral's chest and smirked at the way Fandral looked the most bewildered. The smug smile from his face had completely diminished and Loki felt a surge of pride and power build within him.

The yard was bathed in silence at first, but soon the air erupted with cheers. They weren't yells of hate or shouts wishing for his death like the last time he was publically brought into Asgard, but shouts of praise and celebration. Something Loki would've never expected to hear again, not for him anyway. Even when he was younger they were all for Thor.

"Good match." Fandral said, reaching a hand forward to shake Loki's. Loki broke himself out of his moment of victory to timidly look at Fandral's hand before shaking it. "You've got to tell me where you've learned to fight like that."

"My Odin, we've hardly ever seen a soul fit to match Fandral, let along beat him." Volstagg's deep booming voice enemated from behind Loki. He felt a giant hand slap his back with so much force that he had to stagger from falling forward.

"Well played." agreed Sif, giving Loki a half smile. He even got a nod from Hogun. The only person who didn't voice himself was Thor, which Loki thought was odd. His brother never missed an opportunity to be a conversationalist. He enjoyed being the outgoing one whereas Loki much preferred to reside in the shadows.

"I have not seen you 'round, Sandor. Tell me, where exactly are you from?" His brother asked. There was a smile on his face but Loki knew better than that. There was a hint of suspicion in Thor's eyes and the smile was an artificial front to keep up appearances as he does so well and often. Loki set down his sword and answered his question as smoothly as possible.

"I come from the far east of Asgard. My father's name is Braen. We just moved here, closer to the palace." Loki said as casually as he could. Thor's features softened just a bit, but it seemed there was something about Loki's appearance that was catching his eye. Loki just stared back at Thor nervously, trying to act a bit confused as if Thor was the odd one.

Finally Thor genuinely smiled and let out that deep hearty laugh that Loki grew up with. He squeezed Loki's shoulder and looked over at his friends.

"What do you say you join my friends and I for drinks then, Sandor?" Thor asked, looking over at his friends for their approval.

"Please do, it's rare we come upon an occasion like this." Volstagg continued, giving an amused smile to Fandral who just playfully rolled his eyes.

"Um..." Loki stuttered, caught off guard for the first time since he stepped out of that obnoxious crowd. He couldn't continue his ridiculous behavior. Someone was bound to find something off eventually. As much as loved this newfound attention, the smart thing to do would be to go back into hiding.

"Only for a bit." Thor added, seeming to realize his worry. Loki swallowed and looked back at the forest there waiting for him.

"Alright." Loki finally agreed, turning back to his old friends in front of him. They all grasped playfully at the scruff of his neck, his back, his arms. It was like being friends with them all over again. He just wished he could do it in his own form, but if this is what he got, he'd take it.


End file.
